This invention relates generally to medical device systems and, more particularly, to medical device systems for applying electrical signals to a cranial nerve for the treatment of various medical conditions at particular times and for particular durations determined by a patient's cardiac cycle.
Many advancements have been made in treating diseases such as depression and epilepsy. Therapies using electrical signals for treating these diseases have been found to effective. Implantable medical devices (IMDs) have been effectively used to deliver therapeutic stimulation to various portions of the human body (e.g., the vagus nerve) for treating these diseases. As used herein, “stimulation” or “stimulation signal” refers to the application of an electrical, mechanical, magnetic, electro-magnetic, photonic, audio and/or chemical signal to a neural structure in the patient's body. The signal is an exogenous signal that is distinct from the endogenous electrical, mechanical, and chemical activity (e.g., afferent and/or efferent electrical action potentials) generated by the patient's body and environment. In other words, the stimulation signal (whether electrical, mechanical, magnetic, electro-magnetic, photonic, audio or chemical in nature) applied to the nerve in the present invention is a signal applied from an artificial source, e.g., a neurostimulator.
A “therapeutic signal” refers to a stimulation signal delivered to a patient's body with the intent of treating a medical condition by providing a modulating effect to neural tissue. The effect of a stimulation signal on neuronal activity is termed “modulation”; however, for simplicity, the terms “stimulating” and “modulating”, and variants thereof, are sometimes used interchangeably herein. In general, however, the delivery of an exogenous signal itself refers to “stimulation” of the neural structure, while the effects of that signal, if any, on the electrical activity of the neural structure are properly referred to as “modulation.” The modulating effect of the stimulation signal upon the neural tissue may be excitatory or inhibitory, and may potentiate acute and/or long-term changes in neuronal activity. For example, the “modulating” effect of the stimulation signal to the neural tissue may comprise one more of the following effects: (a) initiation of an action potential (afferent and/or efferent action potentials); (b) inhibition or blocking of the conduction of action potentials, whether endogenous or exogenously induced, including hyperpolarizing and/or collision blocking, (c) affecting changes in neurotransmitter/neuromodulator release or uptake, and (d) changes in neuro-plasticity or neurogenesis of brain tissue.
In some embodiments, electrical neurostimulation may be provided by implanting an electrical device underneath the skin of a patient and delivering an electrical signal to a nerve such as a cranial nerve. In one embodiment, the electrical neurostimulation involves sensing or detecting a body parameter, with the electrical signal being delivered in response to the sensed body parameter. This type of stimulation is generally referred to as “active,” “feedback,” or “triggered” stimulation. In another embodiment, the system may operate without sensing or detecting a body parameter once the patient has been diagnosed with a medical condition that may be treated by neurostimulation. In this case, the system may apply a series of electrical pulses to the nerve (e.g., a cranial nerve such as a vagus nerve) periodically, intermittently, or continuously throughout the day, or over another predetermined time interval. This type of stimulation is generally referred to as “passive,” “non-feedback,” or “prophylactic,” stimulation. In yet another type of stimulation, both passive stimulation and feedback stimulation be combined, in which electrical signals are delivered passively according to a predetermined duty cycle, and also in response to a sensed body parameter. The electrical signal may be applied by a pulse generator that is implanted within the patient's body. In another alternative embodiment, the signal may be generated by an external pulse generator outside the patient's body, coupled by an RF or wireless link to an implanted electrode or an external transcutaneous neurostimulator (TNS).
Generally, neurostimulation signals that perform neuromodulation are delivered by the IMD via one (i.e., unipolar) or more (i.e., bipolar) leads. The leads generally terminate at their distal ends in one or more electrodes, and the electrodes, in turn, are electrically coupled to tissue in the patient's body. For example, a number of electrodes may be attached to various points of a nerve or other tissue inside or outside a human body for delivery of a neurostimulation signal.
Conventional vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) usually involves non-feedback stimulation characterized by a number of parameters. Specifically, conventional vagus nerve stimulation usually involves a series of electrical pulses in bursts defined by an “on-time” and an “off-time.” During the on-time, electrical pulses of a defined electrical current (e.g., 0.5-2.0 milliamps) and pulse width (e.g., 0.25-1.0 milliseconds) are delivered at a defined frequency (e.g., 20-30 Hz) for the on-time duration, usually a specific number of seconds, e.g., 7-60 seconds. The pulse bursts are separated from one another by the off-time, (e.g., 14 seconds-5 minutes) in which no electrical signal is applied to the nerve. The on-time and off-time parameters together define a duty cycle, which is the ratio of the on-time to the sum of the on-time and off-time, and which describes the percentage of time that the electrical signal is applied to the nerve. It will be appreciated that calculation of duty cycle should also include any ramp-up and/or ramp-down time.
In conventional VNS, the on-time and off-time may be programmed to define an intermittent pattern in which a repeating series of electrical pulse bursts are generated and applied to the vagus nerve 127. Each sequence of pulses during an on-time may be referred to as a “pulse burst.” The burst is followed by the off-time period in which no signals are applied to the nerve. The off-time is provided to allow the nerve to recover from the stimulation of the pulse burst, and to conserve power. If the off-time is set at zero, the electrical signal in conventional VNS may provide continuous stimulation to the vagus nerve. Alternatively, the idle time may be as long as one day or more, in which case the pulse bursts are provided only once per day or at even longer intervals. Typically, however, the ratio of “off-time” to “on-time” may range from about 0.5 to about 10.
Although neurostimulation has proven effective in the treatment of a number of medical conditions, including epilepsy, it would be desirable to further enhance and optimize a therapeutic regimen comprising neurostimulation for this purpose. For example, it may be desirable to collect other data, either directly or indirectly associated with an acute incident of the medical condition, in order to inform the patient and/or his physician about the severity, progression, or remission of the medical condition. To do so, it may be desirable to provide a neurostimulation off-time during which the other data may be collected.